Blizzard Entertainment
The 2017 season for professional StarCraft II is coming to an end, which means it’s time to get ready for BlizzCon. Each year the top 16 players from all over the world come together in Anaheim to compete for the biggest prize pool of the season. The eight players representing the World Championship Series (WCS) Circuit have been decided, and here they are in the order of their WCS point standings.
To say Alex ‘Neeb’ Sunderhaft has had an incredible year would be an understatement. This unstoppable Protoss player has taken three of the four Circuit championship trophies for the year, and he has twice as many WCS points as the second-place qualifier. He made it to the quarterfinals at last year’s Global Finals, but the talent he’s shown over the course of this year make him a strong contender to walk away as the first non-Korean world champion.
Mikolaj ‘Elazer’ Ogonowski is riding high after his first WCS tournament win earlier this year in Valencia, and he’s looking ready to take on the best the Global Finals has to offer. He’s also no stranger to playing at BlizzCon, as he made it all the way to the semifinals last year before falling to the legendary Zerg player Park ‘Dark’ Ryung Woo. As Elazer continues to grow as a competitor, it’ll be interesting to see if he can make it even further in the tournament this year.
When the year started, fans and casting talent alike spoke about how Joona ‘Serral’ Sotala was the new best European player in professional StarCraft II. While his performance on the ranked ladder certainly coincides with that, he hasn’t been able to grab a championship win this year. His fellow competitors chalked that up to nerves, as Serral wasn’t very experienced at live events at the beginning of the year—but now that he’s gotten used to the stage, he’ll be a dangerous competitor at the Global Finals.
Few players in professional StarCraft II are as prolific as Jens ‘Snute’ Aasgaard. He’s the highest-earning non-Korean player, and he participates in a remarkable number of tournaments outside of the four premier WCS events. He also made it to the finals in both Valencia and Montreal, highlighting his impeccable Zerg play.
Artur ‘Nerchio’ Bloch is one of the WCS Circuit’s most seasoned players. He’s been a force to be reckoned with in the professional scene since 2011, and he remains a strong contender today. He’s been in the playoffs for every WCS event this year, and he made it all the way to the finals in Austin, so he’s clearly still got the goods to do well at this year’s Global Finals.
Diego ‘Kelazhur’ Schwimer has been an absolute powerhouse this year, as he’s shown exemplary Terran play and a rapid increase in skill. He’s made it to the playoffs in every event, and he’s only been taken down by the best of the best. If he continues his remarkable rise in talent, he’ll make quite a splash at the Global Finals this year.
The word “solid” describes no player quite as well as Bang ‘TRUE’ Tae Soo. He was a semifinalist at Austin, Valencia, and Montreal this year, and he’s always a Zerg to take seriously. While he hasn’t shown the unbreakable play he had during last year’s Summer Circuit Championship, he could very well give that top level of performance this year at the Global Finals.
Juan Carlos ‘SpeCial’ Tena Lopez had a terrifying presence this year in Austin and Jönköping. After being knocked out by Neeb at each of those events, he got his revenge in Valencia to make it to the semifinals. While he was eliminated early in Montreal, he’s still a serious competitor for the Global Finals. He’s made it to the top levels of competition in Korea multiple times this year, so he’ll be ready to take on everything our Korean pros bring to the table.
Joining these eight players will be the top eight competitors from Korea. The Korean scene still has one more Global StarCraft II League (GSL) Super Tournament for a last chance at some precious WCS points. Once that concludes, we’ll have the eight BlizzCon qualifiers from Korea as well. Make sure to tune in on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 12:00 a.m. PDT (17:00 KST) to watch the top Korean players compete for the final GSL event of the year.